Doing the 'boring' chapters...

[Queenfisher]

As for your story, I’m not going to say don’t cater to readers, because refusing to write what readers want leaves you with no readers. But if you don’t like smut and action, why write in that genre? Do worldbuilding novels require smut? Do readers who enjoy worldbuilding look for smut? I don’t know as I don’t write/read those genres.

Thanks! My issue is that I hate writing action/smut but I usually enjoy reading it, partly because it always leaves me O_O at how seamless many authors make it without me noticing their actual "writing". Fills me with writer's skill envy ^^. I do want to learn to be a better writer, so I practice my writing in all kinds of scenes. These are top-tier hard for me, but it doesn't mean I shouldn't practice them.

Also, what is a worldbuilding novel??? O_O I want to see that! (Is it like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malazan_Book_of_the_Fallen ?)

So just in case we're starting to veer off from the topic, the question is...

"How do you deal with a chapter or part that is 'boring' or strenuous to write?"

I think it depends on what kind of function this chapter plays -- hence there are so many different answers in this thread.

-- If it's transition in which nothing happens but it must be there -- maybe spice it up with a tiny anecdote about one of the characters or "Did you know that..." factoid about your world/brainyquote.com wisdom to tickle the reader with the feeling something meaningful is happening.

-- If it's hard scenes you hate to write but you know it's more exciting to read later (action, smut) -- just do it +_+. No way around this. Turn off the PC/phone and tell yourself that you will only eat today after you write at least ~X words for the scene. I.e. make up an artificial deadline for yourself. Reward yourself with something cute -- ice cream, guilty pleasure movie, etc, afterward. You earned it!

-- If it's info-dump or setting porn, write a tiny list with points which absolutely HAVE to cover some issues in this scene. Then rearrange them in your list in such a way that you can sneak them in more or less enjoyably for yourself and the reader in a way that makes sense for characters/story. Do not add stuff that's not on the list.

-- If it's a filler scene in between two heavy hitters (but not a transition, just a palate-cleanser so that the reader is not overwhelmed by two high tension scenes in a row) -- then copy a filler scene from somewhere else (anime, book, movie) that you enjoyed a lot, only in your personal fashion.

-- If it's a scene that's just a normal scene but something is lacking in your opinion -- then I'd follow the advice about adding side stuff, or a sub-scene inside it -- of something that you generally love doing. Like, a travel scene from point A to point B can have a tiny slice-of-life moment with characters cooking dinner while having fluffy interactions with each other. Or an action scene can have a sub-development of flirting between two characters ^^.

Hope this helps...

 

[Deleted member 29316]

Thanks! My issue is that I hate writing action/smut but I usually enjoy reading it, partly because it always leaves me O_O at how seamless many authors make it without me noticing their actual "writing". Fills me with writer's skill envy ^^. I do want to learn to be a better writer, so I practice my writing in all kinds of scenes. These are top-tier hard for me, but it doesn't mean I shouldn't practice them.

Also, what is a worldbuilding novel??? O_O I want to see that! (Is it like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malazan_Book_of_the_Fallen ?)




I think it depends on what kind of function this chapter plays -- hence there are so many different answers in this thread.

-- If it's transition in which nothing happens but it must be there -- maybe spice it up with a tiny anecdote about one of the characters or "Did you know that..." factoid about your world/brainyquote.com wisdom to tickle the reader with the feeling something meaningful is happening.

-- If it's hard scenes you hate to write but you know it's more exciting to read later (action, smut) -- just do it +_+. No way around this. Turn off the PC/phone and tell yourself that you will only eat today after you write at least ~X words for the scene. I.e. make up an artificial deadline for yourself. Reward yourself with something cute -- ice cream, guilty pleasure movie, etc, afterward. You earned it!

-- If it's info-dump or setting porn, write a tiny list with points which absolutely HAVE to cover some issues in this scene. Then rearrange them in your list in such a way that you can sneak them in more or less enjoyably for yourself and the reader in a way that makes sense for characters/story. Do not add stuff that's not on the list.

-- If it's a filler scene in between two heavy hitters (but not a transition, just a palate-cleanser so that the reader is not overwhelmed by two high tension scenes in a row) -- then copy a filler scene from somewhere else (anime, book, movie) that you enjoyed a lot, only in your personal fashion.

-- If it's a scene that's just a normal scene but something is lacking in your opinion -- then I'd follow the advice about adding side stuff, or a sub-scene inside it -- of something that you generally love doing. Like, a travel scene from point A to point B can have a tiny slice-of-life moment with characters cooking dinner while having fluffy interactions with each other. Or an action scene can have a sub-development of flirting between two characters ^^.

Hope this helps...

Now this is a detailed response. Thank you for this!

The recent one I encountered is the scenes that are hard to write. But I had to, since I know that it would later lead to the interesting parts of the story. Took me two weeks of scheduled writing time just to get over it. (I always give myself a deadline as a motivation to write.)

My solution is like what @yansusustories did: force myself to write, even though I don't like it, bit by bit (500 words a day). Then when I got spent, had to rest for several days before going back to review what I had written.

When I got the scenes I want and need, that's when I 'exploded' to write three more chapters in a breeze.

 

[UYScuti]

Thanks! My issue is that I hate writing action/smut but I usually enjoy reading it, partly because it always leaves me O_O at how seamless many authors make it without me noticing their actual "writing". Fills me with writer's skill envy ^^. I do want to learn to be a better writer, so I practice my writing in all kinds of scenes. These are top-tier hard for me, but it doesn't mean I shouldn't practice them.

Also, what is a worldbuilding novel??? O_O I want to see that! (Is it like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malazan_Book_of_the_Fallen ?)

Malazan is universe building. If your book is set in a fantasy world with different races, magic, etc., then not only are you creating a kingdom, you’re creating a world. You’re describing a world that’s foreign to us, so you need to build it for your readers.

 

[SailusGebel]

For me, it's music. If I find a song that gets stuck in my head, it helps me concentrate. It gives me enough inspiration to make it interesting for me to write a boring chapter.

 

[Maple-Leaf]

I've found that reading other people's work makes me want to write more, so I get off my butt. I think I'll finally finish that chapter this week.

 

[yansusustories]

-- If it's transition in which nothing happens but it must be there -- maybe spice it up with a tiny anecdote about one of the characters or "Did you know that..." factoid about your world/brainyquote.com wisdom to tickle the reader with the feeling something meaningful is happening.

Ah, you remind me! On the more technical side of things, this is a bit like what I do.
I actually just very recently had to write a chapter like this: One of the three main MLs with his fiance and the fiance's older brother were traveling to the capital city. Neither fiance nor his brother have actually been to that place and actually only arrived in the dragon realm a week before that and are of a different race so stuff is new to them.
So in this chapter (and I do the same in similar ones) I actually slightly time-skip over the actual traveling and then add in dialogue regarding what has happened before and what's going to happen plus some noticeable things. E.g. they've decided to travel there at the end of the last chapter, then the actual travel starts with the beginning of this chapter, and them doing that is summarized in one effing sentence (like, "they gathered their stuff and started on their journey" - something like that). Then it follows with the MLs schemes which leads to him explaining some stuff about the capital and them trying to decide where they'll stay all the while they continue traveling.
At about the halfway point of the chapter, the fact that they're traveling is brought back up (and only then before that, the focus is on the other things) with just one more sentence that is summarized again (like "there was still quite a bit of distance to cover" or something like that), then some obersvations from his fiance and the fiance's brother follow and at the end of the chapter, they arrive at the capital city's gate where there's some more observations since, well, everything is still new, and then we get to the next issue which ties into something that happened three chapters back.

So, basically, I skip as much of the actual boring (to me) part (the travel) and focus on either what's happened before (e.g., comparisons to their life in the human realm, the MLs plans that were referenced throughout this whole arc and the previous one) and what's going to happen (e.g., where are they going to stay which is what'll lead to the next big thing).

Thinking about similar chapters, I think I do it like this in general: I never really add stuff that isn't linked to either past chapters or something that's supposed to come later on. This might be because my chapters in this project are very short (only about 1k words on average), so I don't really have time for any fluff and need to cut that down as much as possible. So if it doesn't tie into other things already happening - out with it. Otherwise, the whole chapter would likely feel like a filler. With longer chapters, I might do it differently because you just have much more space but it's my recipe for short ones at least.
Actually, keeping it simple might also be what helps with getting through this type of chapter. I have something to focus on and can make it tie into the rest of the story which gives me something different to think about and also makes me feel like it won't be boring to the readers since it adds to what has happened before and gives some hints as to what will happen. In this specific case, for example, the fuck-up that's going to happen in the capital city's palace. And readers with very, very good insight that remember what we currently know about the palace (e.g. who else is staying there at this moment) should likely get anxious as soon as the palace is mentioned

setting porn

I love this Can I adopt it?

 

[Queenfisher]

For me, it's music. If I find a song that gets stuck in my head, it helps me concentrate. It gives me enough inspiration to make it interesting for me to write a boring chapter.

Ah yes!

That helps too if I can find a perfectly-fitting piece for it. For my dumb action scenes, I usually hype myself with Matrix bullet-time (+_+) for contemporary stuff, some "Epic Trailer Music" for epic fights, and oddly enough, JJBA's dubstep pieces from Battle Tendency because they just hype me so much ^^ for any random fight scene I have to write (Elephant Talk 2 and Burning Collosseum in particular. Lame, yes. But works for me +_+).

For sudden fluff -- Apple Whistling Song from Spice&Wolf's ending, first season. Never fails me

The only downside, is that you might start procrastinating just by listening to other music instead, so I just loop one song until I'm done writing.

 

[Queenfisher]

I've found that reading other people's work makes me want to write more, so I get off my butt. I think I'll finally finish that chapter this week.

Ganbatte! You can do it!

Another way I think can be useful is if you have someone to kick you till you just do it. +_+ If I whine about some scene I hate writing long enough, I usually get kicked very hard by people around me and their nagging/hype can help me brace myself and just push through it . But not always...

 

[SailusGebel]

Ah yes!

That helps too if I can find a perfectly-fitting piece for it. For my dumb action scenes, I usually hype myself with Matrix bullet-time (+_+) for contemporary stuff, some "Epic Trailer Music" for epic fights, and oddly enough, JJBA's dubstep pieces from Battle Tendency because they just hype me so much ^^ for any random fight scene I have to write (Elephant Talk and Burning Coliseum in particular. Lame, yes. But works for me +_+).

For sudden fluff -- Apple Whistling Song from Spice&Wolf's ending, first season. Never fails me

The only downside, is that you might start procrastinating just by listening to other music instead, so I just loop one song until I'm done writing.

Though it helps if the music is 'matching' the scene, it doesn't matter for me. I listen to music as I write all the time, so the thing that helps me with boring chapters is a particular song that gets stuck on repeat in my head.
For example, I found a mashup of the JOJO opening theme and another song and listened to it all the time I was writing the sex scene.
While I listen to my playlist as I write 'normal' or 'interesting' chapters. If it's a boring chapter, I wait for a song to get stuck in my head.

 

[Queenfisher]

Actually, keeping it simple might also be what helps with getting through this type of chapter.

Also this +_+. Damn it, we might need a listicle of all the advice this thread had gathered ^^. I find myself agreeing with so many.

I love this Can I adopt it?

Errr... Don't! It bites and spits hairballs everywhere +_+.

People who fall in love with their settings/worldbuildings go pretty drunk on their omnipower sometimes ^^ and just don't know when to shut up and stop fapping to our conworlding and conlanging skills... (Speaking for myself, of course).

 

[Queenfisher]

For example, I found a mashup of the JOJO opening theme and another song and listened to it all the time I was writing the sex scene.

Please, share +_+.

 

[SailusGebel]

Please, share +_+.

I'm not so sure about this one, you probably would regret this. But if you want this, here you go. It's on the youtube, the name of the video is JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE x ФИЛИПП КИРКОРОВ — BLUE HAMON OVERDRIVE [MASHUP].

 

[Queenfisher]

I'm not so sure about this one, you probably would regret this. But if you want this, here you go. It's on the youtube, the name of the video is JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE x ФИЛИПП КИРКОРОВ — BLUE HAMON OVERDRIVE [MASHUP].

OMG thank you I do regret it already, but... thank you nonetheless.

Now this is truly биззарно.

 

[yansusustories]

Damn it, we might need a listicle of all the advice this thread had gathered ^^. I find myself agreeing with so many.

That's actually a really good idea

Errr... Don't! It bites and spits hairballs everywhere +_+.

People who fall in love with their settings/worldbuildings go pretty drunk on their omnipower sometimes ^^ and just don't know when to shut up and stop fapping to our conworlding and conlanging skills... (Speaking for myself, of course).

As a mini-linguist myself, I agree But at least I stopped including complete conversations in fictional languages years ago and only throw in some terms and names and maybe short sentences And I'm afraid we're derailing the topic again ...

 

[Maple-Leaf]

And I'm afraid we're derailing the topic again ...

Rails are made to be derailed. Now off we go into the ravine.

 

[K5Rakitan]

Husband likes more action and doesn't really enjoy the character development parts, but I find it easier to explore the characters than to do action scenes. We all have different strengths and gifts. Michael, who is based on Husband, is the easiest one for me to write because we have a unique way of talking to each other. I also get suggestions directly from my source about whether he would or wouldn't say certain things. I also get direct quotes from other sources, but they aren't reading the chapters before I post them, so it's harder to know if I'm doing them justice.

 

[ForestDweller]

The boring chapter for me is the chapter where it's hard for me to find the right words/order or events. When my writing is all smooth and flowing, it's never boring.

 

[Deleted member 29316]

The boring chapter for me is the chapter where it's hard for me to find the right words/order or events. When my writing is all smooth and flowing, it's never boring.

Yes, this too, could lead to the 'boring'/difficult parts of the story.

What do you do when you reach that point?

 

[ForestDweller]

Yes, this too, could lead to the 'boring'/difficult parts of the story.

What do you do when you reach that point?

I left the writing process for a bit. No sense wasting my time in the front of an empty document file. Instead, I'll think about it as I go through my day.

 

[Deleted member 29316]

I left the writing process for a bit. No sense wasting my time in the front of an empty document file. Instead, I'll think about it as I go through my day.

Ah yes, changing paces and taking a break. It's really effective in 'rethinking' the parts and ideas. Thanks for the reply!